Not applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates, generally, to delaminating apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for removing old floor coverings. The invention is particularly useful for removing old floor coverings that contain asbestos or other hazardous materials.
2. Background Information.
The state of the art includes various devices and methods for removing old floor covering. Most of them have a sharp blade driven forward by a motorized wheel. Most of the blades have some angular control, and provisions are made to heavily load the blade with the weight of the vehicle by picking up the front wheel and/or pressing the blade down. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,313 to Smith discloses a blade with its angle of attack set by adjustable rods, and the front wheel is raised or lowered to engage or disengage the blade with the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,284 to Lindsey et al. discloses a hydraulic cylinder that pivots a blade to adjust its pitch between substantially vertical and substantially horizontal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,161 to Finney et al. discloses a blade connected to two articulated arms, the first arm pivoting about an axis near the front wheel to raise and lower the second arm, which pivots about the end of the first arm. With the first arm angled downward, the front wheel is lifted off the ground to heavily load the blade against the ground.
The devices in all of those patents include a powered wheeled vehicle as part of the device. None of them are designed to be attached to an existing small front end loader type vehicle, such as a Bobcat, or other type loader or forklift to thereby take advantage of the multi-axis motion and load applying capability available from such a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,534 to Easton et al. discloses a power-driven oscillating blade attached to the front of a loader and uses the loader controls to adjust the angle of attack of the blade, but such a device with its oscillation mechanism and separate power source is very complex.
When the surface material being removed contains hazardous material such as asbestos, dust abatement is required. Additionally, the wheeled vehicle used to remove the material should not run over the removed material. Doing so further fractures the material and allows the hazardous material to be tracked throughout the work site by the tires of the vehicle. The Finney patent discloses the use of a water tank and spray nozzles to abate dust when removing asbestos-containing materials. But none of the patents disclose a device or method for gathering the removed material and preventing it from being run over by the wheeled vehicle.
The present invention provides an improved tile and carpet removing device which overcomes the limitations and shortcomings of the prior art.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for removing floor covering, such as tile and carpet from floors, particularly from large areas of concrete floors typically found in commercial buildings. The apparatus includes a frame having attachment features for attaching the frame to the front end of a loader type vehicle. An arm connects to and extends forward from the frame, and has a tapered end portion with a terminal end to which a blade attaches. The blade extends generally forward from the tapered portion of the arm and has a sharp edge for separating floor covering from a floor. A deflector extends upward from on top of the tapered portion to deflect removed materials off of the top of the tapered portion. At least one sweep is connected to the frame and extends downward from the frame to the floor as the vehicle is driven forward pressing the blade against the floor. The sweep is made of a resilient material and is vertically slidable relative to the frame to accommodate variations in the floor and vertical motion of the apparatus while maintaining contact with the floor to collect removed floor covering material ahead of the loader as the loader is moved forward to remove floor covering. A reservoir may optionally be supported by the arm and contain water or other liquid which is sprayed on the floor covering as it is removed to abate dust, which may contain hazardous material such as asbestos.
The features, benefits and objects of this invention will become clear to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description, claims and drawings.